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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Renata Shamrakova accused of swindling $1M

The beautiful, Russian-born personal assistant accused of swindling $1 million while working for hedge-funder Todd Meister was juggling a string of paramours — including the co-defendant boyfriend who was her “kept man,” prosecutors said yesterday.

The salacious revelations about gorgeous Renata Shamrakova came as that so-called “kept man,” Michael Smaye, 25, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court and pleaded not guilty to obstruction and tampering with evidence.

Smaye was in the dark about the alleged looting, prosecutors said. But he is accused of helping Shamrakova after she begged him to hide the incriminating documents and electronics that were about to be seized from her West 21st Street apartment before her arrest.

Shamrakova, 26, paid for all of Smaye’s expenses — including his food, travel, clothing and the apartment’s rent, lead prosecutor Cory Jacobs said in court.

But that was just one of the apartments where Shamrakova had a lover handy, said the prosecutor.

“She had another boyfriend a few blocks away,” the prosecutor said, describing that one as a “Frenchman,” while she was still legally married to another man in Queens.”

He added, “She traveled from apartment to apartment in order to avoid one boyfriend running into the other.”

Shamrakova has intimated through her lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, that Meister, too, was a romantic interest and that the funny-money business was actually a series of romantically inspired gifts.

Meister has scoffed at the claim, insisting there had been no such affair and that the only relationship between him and Shamrakova was that of victim and thief.

Jacobs said Smaye helped Shamrakova remove physical evidence, including documents and electronic devices, computers and financial records, after she called him before her arrest and warned that the apartment they shared was about to be searched by police.

“Proof will show that Mike was one of the many victims used and duped by his cunning and deceitful co-defendant,” defense lawyer Marc Fernich said of Smaye, who is a Canadian citizen.

“He’s just a patsy. The story is as old as Adam and Eve,” Fernich said.

Smaye left court declining to comment and looking visibly upset.

He is due back in court on April 5. Shamrakova is due back on April 19.

Prosecutors have said that they will agree to nothing less than one year in prison for Shamrakova in the felony case.